Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice — and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding. Please watch the 18 minute TedTalk here.
Please fill out this DEI Intercom Post Feedback Form to be part of our conversation and offer feedback or suggestions on what is being shared.
Kudos to Kyle Morrison for going above and beyond again this year to assist in the creation of NMC’s retiree videos to honor this year’s retirees. Kyle took the employee submitted videos and masterfully remastered them with music, animation, editing, and photos to co-create beautiful, meaningful remembrances to share with retirees and campus. Kyle’s customer service is outstanding! Thanks for all your great work, Kyle; we appreciate you!
Kudos to Laurie Sears and David Chown for providing their beautiful music on the flute, saxophone, and keyboard for the 2022 You Made It Possible Celebration. The music created ambiance and a beautiful atmosphere for employees and attendees to reconnect, relax, and enjoy the afternoon!
Kudos to Jeff Sabins: Jeff stopped his own work to help me find my lost key in the Dennos parking lot. It had disappeared in my car and Jeff went to a lot of extra effort to help me search using all the tools at his disposal. I was so frustrated and didn’t have a flashlight or anything else to help me look but he stepped in and went to great pains to help me find it. I appreciate his help so much! Thank you, Jeff!
Kudos to Dan Goodchild, Jason Slade, Amy Burns, Bailey, Stephen Siciliano and Georgenia Hromada: Dan, Jason, Stephen, Amy and Georgenia hosted the signing of the articulation agreement with the Michigan Statewide Carpenters and Millwright Joint Apprenticeship and Training Fund. This event showcased how education and industry are working together to encourage people to enter the skilled trades and offer advanced learning opportunities. Thank you for all your hard work on the agreement!
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
STAFF & FACULTY5 years
10 years
15 years
20 years
25 years
30 years
35 years
|
ADJUNCT5 years
10 years
15 years
20 years
|
NMC is pleased to announce its Dean’s List for the Spring 2022 semester.
Published at the end of each semester, the Dean’s List recognizes outstanding academic achievement based upon a student’s semester grade point average. To be eligible, students must have a grade point average of 3.5 or above out of a possible 4.0 while taking five or more credits in a semester.
Congratulations to these distinguished scholars on earning this academic achievement!
Join us on Saturday, June 11 from 11 a.m—2 p.m. at NMC’s Aspen Lot in front of the Dennos Museum for a family-friendly, pride-filled CARNIVAL! This space will host the first Unconditional art installation by Roger Amundsen. Roger’s installation invites you to perform the radical act of stopping and looking at yourself in the mirror–to love what you see unconditionally.
The Pride Carnival will include the thrill of a super slide, the heights of a climbing wall, food vendors, non-profit booths, NMC student groups, and live music! In addition to the featured art exhibit, the Dennos Museum will be open and free to the public during this event.
Venue Sponsor: Chris Dennos
Event Sponsors: Lexa Ferrill Realtor, Lakeview Counseling
Artist Sponsor: Begonia Charitable Foundation
Box Sponsor: Britten Inc.
Join us on Saturday, June 18 for a Graduation Celebration Pow Wow to honor our graduates. Grand Entry will take place at 2:30 p.m. on the lawn outside of East Hall.
This event is free and open to the public. For more info. contact tparker@nmc.edu or call (231) 995-3025.
TRAVERSE CITY — NMC student Amber Marsh is one of 15 Phi Theta Kappa members selected as a 2022 Guistwhite Scholar and will receive a $5,000 scholarship for her baccalaureate studies.
Download a high-resolution photo of Amber MarshWinners were chosen from among 2,700 applicants nationwide. Their selection was based on academic excellence, leadership accomplishments, and engagement in Phi Theta Kappa programs. They will also receive a commemorative medallion.
The Guistwhite is the second-highest scholarship offered by Phi Theta Kappa. It is named in honor of the late Margaret and Dr. Jack Guistwhite, who established the first transfer scholarship designated exclusively for Phi Theta Kappa members to Florida Atlantic University in 1975.
Marsh, of Kalkaska, is studying business administration. She has been president of NMC’s PTK chapter for two years and led it to its best performance ever in the organization’s Most Distinguished Chapter competition. She was NMC’s Student Government Association president in 2021-22 and active in other student groups as well, including helping to launch a mentoring program between NMC students and Blair Elementary School fifth graders. In 2021-22 she represented the student body on the steering committee that led the creation of NMC Next, the college’s strategic plan through 2025.
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society has nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. NMC’s chapter is Alpha Rho Pi. Learn more at nmc.edu/ptk.
Kari Kahler, Associate Dean
Department of Learning Services
Alpha Rho Pi Chapter Advisor
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
231-995-1228
kkahler@nmc.edu
TRAVERSE CITY — NMC student Amber Marsh is one of 15 Phi Theta Kappa members selected as a 2022 Guistwhite Scholar and will receive a $5,000 scholarship for her baccalaureate studies.
Download a high-resolution photo of Amber MarshWinners were chosen from among 2,700 applicants nationwide. Their selection was based on academic excellence, leadership accomplishments, and engagement in Phi Theta Kappa programs. They will also receive a commemorative medallion.
The Guistwhite is the second-highest scholarship offered by Phi Theta Kappa. It is named in honor of the late Margaret and Dr. Jack Guistwhite, who established the first transfer scholarship designated exclusively for Phi Theta Kappa members to Florida Atlantic University in 1975.
Marsh, of Kalkaska, is studying business administration. She has been president of NMC’s PTK chapter for two years and led it to its best performance ever in the organization’s Most Distinguished Chapter competition. She was NMC’s Student Government Association president in 2021-22 and active in other student groups as well, including helping to launch a mentoring program between NMC students and Blair Elementary School fifth graders. In 2021-22 she represented the student body on the steering committee that led the creation of NMC Next, the college’s strategic plan through 2025.
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society has nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. NMC’s chapter is Alpha Rho Pi. Learn more at nmc.edu/ptk.
Kari Kahler, Associate Dean
Department of Learning Services
Alpha Rho Pi Chapter Advisor
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
231-995-1228
kkahler@nmc.edu
After three straight years of a 100-percent state exam pass rate and employment rate, NMC’s Police Academy program is planning big changes that will allow it to double enrollment and help fill a shortage of police and law enforcement officers statewide.
A new structure for the Police Academy slated to start in the fall of 2023 means that instead of turning out one graduating class per academic year, NMC will have one in the fall and one in the spring. Students will receive the same training by attending full time for 16 weeks, instead of part-time as they do now for the nine-month academic year.
Both students and police agencies favor the switch, Police Academy Director Gail Kurowski said. The 11 members of the Police Academy class of 2022 have all been hired (graduate Matt Morgan, above, is headed to the Michigan State Police), and police departments and sheriff’s offices around northern Michigan are eager for more graduates.
“They are really excited to see us make this change,” Kurowski said. “They are desperately in need of law enforcement personnel.”
Of the 20 police academies in Michigan overseen by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards, NMC is among only a handful that still operate on academic year calendars, Kurowski said. She’s currently recruiting for the 2022–23 year, and has had to turn away almost as many students as she’s enrolled because they preferred the consolidated, shorter program. Increasing the number of credentials earned faster is also an objective within the Future-Focused Education area in NMC Next, the college’s strategic plan.
“It doesn’t work any more,” Kurowski said of the two-semester schedule. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re going to increase enrollment.”
Police Academy students will be learning on significantly upgraded equipment, too. Earlier this month, the Grand Traverse County Commission approved donating two used sheriff’s department patrol vehicles to the NMC program. Kurowski said she has a verbal commitment for a used Traverse City Police Department vehicle, too.
The vehicles will be outfitted with equipment donated by the Michigan State Police, including mounted display consoles for computers inside. The current 2005 vehicles NMC now uses lack any kind of police equipment.
“Our students have never gotten to turn on a siren or a light bar,” Kurowski said. “That’s going to be a huge improvement.” She expects the vehicles to be available for the 2022–23 school year.
NMC’s Aviation program and Marine Technology bachelor’s degree program also boast 100 percent employment among their graduates. The Great Lakes Maritime Academy expects all 2022 graduates to be employed within six months of graduation.
As of May 23, 2022, NMC’s COVID-19 response team has decided to pause updates to the cases on campus dashboard for the summer semester, when the on-campus population ebbs significantly.
The spread of COVID-19 on campus has slowed greatly since the winter months. Cases rose 63 percent in January-February (102 to 167), but only 6 percent in March-April (167-178). Over the same time, the prevalence of at-home testing increased significantly. Positive results may not be reported to campus or any health authorities, meaning the dashboard no longer offers an accurate picture of the virus on campus.
As we have since the beginning of the pandemic, we will continue to monitor the state of the virus and adjust procedures as necessary to protect the health and safety of our campus community while minimizing the disruption to learning. We will reassess the value of the dashboard prior to the fall semester.
Northwestern Michigan College has recognized the following employees for excellence in the 2021-22 academic year:
Betsy Boris, Imogene Wise Faculty Excellence Award: Chosen by a student selection committee, award criteria includes teaching excellence, rapport with students, innovation in the classroom and a sense of dedication. Comments about Boris, a nursing instructor, included: “Betsy goes above and beyond just teaching. She cares about each student and understands the anxiety we all face.” “She does an amazing job explaining concepts and providing examples of real-world practical application.” “She is very responsive to inquiries and invests time in helping students identify solutions to issues.” Initiated by a contribution from longtime NMC benefactors Harold and Imogene Wise in 1970, the award was first made to a full-time faculty member in 1971.
Lindsey Dickinson, Staff Excellence Award: Nominated by her peers, Dickinson is director of Academic and Career Advising. Several nominators mentioned it’s hard to focus on her work only this year, since Dickinson has such a long and impressive track record, including graduating from NMC. She was described as “one of those key people who is somehow a part of everything important going on at the college,” “one of the strongest advocates for NMC that I’ve witnessed,” and “engaged at every level. She is constantly transforming lives and enriching our community.”
Cary Godwin, Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award: Chosen by a student selection committee, award criteria includes teaching excellence, rapport with students, innovation in the classroom and a sense of dedication. Comments about Godwin, an adjunct instructor for the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, included: “Commander Godwin’s teaching methods are an excellent example of his dedication to student learning. The school is very lucky to have him.” “He builds a trust with his students that allows us to learn by trying, failing, and trying again because we know Commander Godwin has our back.” The award was created in 1999 as a companion to the Imogene Wise Faculty Excellence Award.
T/S State of Michigan/GLMA team, Team Excellence Award: Nominated by peers, the team was commended for its student-centered response to a mechanical failure on the training ship in May 2021. The State of Michigan had to be towed from the Detroit River to a Toledo shipyard and spent 8 weeks awaiting repairs. It could have delayed graduation, and the careers, of 50 Great Lakes Maritime Academy cadets. Instead, the team of John Biolchini, Martin Hughes, Scott Powell, Karl Schroeder, Steph Sedlacek, Chuck Miller, Sue Lieblein, Ben Minor, Sue Denoyer, Judy Druskovich, Karen Ford and Tim Dayton snapped into action, shifting all cadets to commercial ships or other maritime academy ships so they could earn their required sea time and graduate on time. The team also insured that all $1.5 million in costs, from cadet travel to State of Michigan repairs, were covered by the federal government’s Maritime Administration.
The following employees showed the NMC values of collaboration and excellence by simply seeing a need and stopping on Tuesday to help arrange the tent for the 2022 You Made It Possible event:
Each jumped in to help when they saw a need — moving the stage, attaching sides to the tent, arranging tables and chairs. Their collaboration contributed to the success of the event and is a reminder of why NMC is such a great place to work. We appreciate you all and your commitment to excellence!
Who’s been a Hawk Owl Helper or Hero for you? Let us know at publicrelations@nmc.edu!
The registration deadline for the GRASP summer math and reading program has been extended to Tuesday, May 24. To register a student for GRASP, please visit nmc.edu/grasp or call Extended Education at (231) 995-1700.
GRASP is a screen-free at-home learning program to help students maintain and build their essential math and reading skills over the summer break. The program is facilitated by local teachers, who will grade the weekly lessons and provide feedback to the children. Lessons are screen-free and portable, so they can be completed from wherever summer travel may take you. Over 4,000 local students have benefitted from this proven program.
Full-time NMC employees can apply the tuition waiver. Registration for a dependent for the 9-week program is just $40 per subject, or $70 for both.
TRAVERSE CITY – As career opportunities boom for carpenters and other skilled trades workers, NMC will sign an articulation agreement with the Michigan Statewide Carpenters and Millwright Joint Apprenticeship and Training Fund on Wednesday, May 25 at the Aero Park Labs building, 2525 Aero Park Drive, Traverse City.
The signing is concurrent with the Michigan Educators Apprenticeship Training Association conference held May 24-26 in Traverse City. Conference attendees will visit the Aero Park Labs building, home to NMC’s construction technology, welding technology, HVAC-R technology and renewable energy technology programs.
The signing will occur at 3 p.m. May 25. It intended to showcase how industry and education are collaborating to encourage people to enter skilled trades, as well as to offer advanced learning opportunities so journeyman skilled trades workers can advance into leadership positions.
Dan Goodchild
(231) 995-2777
TRAVERSE CITY – As career opportunities boom for carpenters and other skilled trades workers, NMC will sign an articulation agreement with the Michigan Statewide Carpenters and Millwright Joint Apprenticeship and Training Fund on Wednesday, May 25 at the Aero Park Labs building, 2525 Aero Park Drive, Traverse City.
The signing is concurrent with the Michigan Educators Apprenticeship Training Association conference held May 24-26 in Traverse City. Conference attendees will visit the Aero Park Labs building, home to NMC’s construction technology, welding technology, HVAC-R technology and renewable energy technology programs.
The signing will occur at 3 p.m. May 25. It intended to showcase how industry and education are collaborating to encourage people to enter skilled trades, as well as to offer advanced learning opportunities so journeyman skilled trades workers can advance into leadership positions.
Dan Goodchild
(231) 995-2777
Kudos to the Technical Division: MiCareer Quest 2022 a huge success! Thank you to the following Tech Division instructors and support personnel:
There was lots of NMC representation from other areas as well and there was a great turn out of around 2,000 9th graders!
Kudos to Alex Bloye/Aviation staff and Diana Fairbanks/PRMC staff for utilizing their training to meet a challenging emergency situation with a safe outcome. Kudos also to Alex Bloye and Diana Fairbanks for handling the communication surrounding the incident. Well done!
Kudos to Cindy Deemer, the Commencement team and all participants and speakers: The new format seemed to be well received and it was wonderful to see a full Milliken Auditorium. Well done!
Kudos to Kari Kahler: Kari has gone above and beyond through this past academic year in establishing a NMC mentorship program with 5th graders at Blair Elementary. Over 30 NMC students have been mentoring a 5th grader and she recently coordinated with Blair to bring the 5th graders to tour NMC for the day and envision themselves as a Hawk Owl someday. The profound impact this program has had on not only the 5th graders, but the mentors as well, will continue to be seen for over their lifetime. This partnership and project would not have been possible without Kari. Thank you, Kari, for being a champion and advocate for NMC and lifelong learning in this community.
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
AJ Mackie & Justin Casey were recently promoted to Lead Flight Instructors. Congratulations!